Toy-horse device



I 1,615,383 Jan. 25,1927. F. HQSSELL I TOY HORSE DEVICE Filed May 4 1925 Patented Jan. 25, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED HQSSELL, OE MINNEAE'OLIS, MIN1\TESOTA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CARMI A. WINSLOW, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

TOY-HORSE DEVICE.

Application filed May 4,

This invention relates to a toy and particularly to a toy having supporting legs and which is adapted to advance on a support so as to simulate an animal walking,

It is an object of this invention to provide a toy having a body portion adapted to form a seat for the operator and having supporting legs, together with means for moving the legs so that the toy may be operated to advance on a supporting surface.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such toy preferably made to simulate a horse or other animal having a body portion adapted to be straddled and form a seat and a pair of pivoted legs at each side of said body portion, together with means normally tending to move the legs forward, whereby the body portion may be rocked or moved forwardly and then tipped laterally to lift the legs at one side from the supporting surface, said lifted legs then moving forwardly.

It is more specifically an object of the in vention to provide such a toy as set forth in the preceding paragraph which has means for limiting the swinging movement of the legs and to which the legs at each side of the body are connected to swing in unison.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fully set forth in the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views, and in which- Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of the device;

Fig. 2 is a view in rear elevation showing the device in normal position;

Fig. 3 is a view showing the device tilted as when being operated; and

Fig. 4t is a detail. view showing a modification of one of the legs.

Referring to the drawings, the toy is shown comprising a body portion 5. While this body portion may be variously formed, it will preferably be shaped to simulate an animal and, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated. the same is shown as simulating the body of a horse, the neck and head portion 6 being provided together with a tail portion 7. The head portion 6 is also illustrated as having thereon a bridle 8 including the reins 8 extending rearward to the body portion. The body portion will 1925. Serial No. 27,773.

be formed to constitute a seat and, as illustrated, the same is shown at its top as of sub stantially cylindrical form in transverse section. The body portion 5 has side portions 5 whichdepend below and at each sideof a central undersurface 5 The undersurface 5" has a central depending member or rib 5 projecting therefrom, and supporting legs comprising front legs 9 and rear legs 10, are pivoted between the portions 5 and 5. Vhile the legs may be variously formed and positioned, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated, it will be seen that there is a front leg 9 and rear leg 10 at each side of the member 5, which legs, respectively, are in longitudinal alinement. The legs 9 are pivoted on a pivot 9 extending through portions 5 and 5 and it will be noted that pivot 9 is disposed forwardly of the central vertical line of legs 9. The legs 10 are pivoted on a pivot member 10 extending through members 5 and 5 and it will also be noted that the pivot member 10 is quite a distance forward of the central vertical line of the legs 10. With the pivots 9 and 10 disposed, as shown, it will be seen that the upper rear corners of legs 9 and 10 will engage the surface 5 and be limited in their swinging movement thereby. The legs 9 and 10, at each side of the horse, are, respectively, pivotally connected to links 11 illustrated as located at the inner sides of said legs. A strip or bar 12 extends across the front of members 5 at the lower portions thereof, as shown in Fig. 1, and screws 15 are threaded into bar 12 carrying jamb nuts 15 and having heads edapted to form adjustable stops limiting the forward movements of legs 9 and owing to the connection through the links 11. this also limits the forward movement of legs 10. The legs 9 and 10 are normally urged to their forward position by springs 13 shown as coiled tensile springs which are connected at their rear ends to the forward portion of legs 10 and at their forward ends to the body portion 5, preferably the inside portion of members 5*. It will be noted that the bottom of legs 9 and 10 are formed of considerable width and these legs preferably will have a comparatively narrow horizontal portion 10" at their inner sides and will have wider portions inclining upwardly and outwardly therefrom.

In operation, the toy will be disposed on a floor or other suitable surface and the thereon.

operator, usually a child, will straddle the toy and be seated on aproximately the central portion of body 5. The toy will nor mally stand in stable equilibrium in the position shown in Figs. '1 and 2. The legs 9 and 10 being pivoted adjacent their forward side naturally tend to swing forward by gravity. The body and legs will be so proportioned that the body normally may swing or be urged to its forward position with the legs at their rearlimit of movement. The toy will naturally take this position when the operator is seated toward the forward portion thereof or leans forwardly The operator will then lean sufliciently to one side to tip the toy to the position shown in F 3. The legs at one side will thus be liftedfrom the floor and these legs will immediately be moved forward to the limit of their forward movement. The operator will then rock the toy to the opposite side to lift the other legs from the floor and these legs will, in turn, be moved to the limit of their forward movement. The operator will continue alternately to tilt the toy from side to side and .as the body will naturally swing forward, the horse will thus walk along the floor. The toy will also preferably be provided with stirrups so that the tipping operations will be facilitated.

The inner portions 10 at the bottoms of the front and rear legs, respectively, are comparatively close together, giving a nar row base of support which facilitates the lateral tilting or rocking movement. The outer bottom surface of the legs support the device when rocked or tilted laterally so that the danger of falling completely over is practically eliminated.

The toy can also be made of such height that the operators feet can touch the floor. In this case, the body and legs can be made so that the operator will give a forward movement to the body. The operator will then tilt the toy to one side, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the legs at the other side will be lifted. These legs will then be swung forwardly in relation to the body by the springs 13. The operator will then again rock the toy laterally to its central position and give another forward impulse to the body portion. This will again swing the legs into the position illustrated in Fig. 1 and the toy will be then rocked to the oppo site-side and the legs will be again swung to their forward position by the other spring 18. The rocking movements will be practically continuous and the toy-will thus advance or walk along the surface. As shown in Fig. 3, when the toy is tilted laterally, the wide portion of the feet or leg bottom contacts with the floor so that there is no tendency for the toy to fall over, a firm support being provided. The legs are, of

course, caused to move forward in unison by the links 11 and, owing to the fact that the rear upper corners of the legs contact the under-surface 5 which forms a stop therefor, there is little or no tendency for the toy to move backward. The amount of swinging movement of the legs and thus the step of the animal can be varied by adjustment of screws 15.

The springs 13 always act to move the legs forwardly after the body has been moved forwardly relatively thereto.

In the modification shown in Fig. l, the bottoms ofrthe legs 14 which are at the upper portion similar to the legs 9 and 10 in every respect, are provided at the inner sides with downwardly projecting extensions or beads 14: on the outer side of which the bottom extends downward to an intermediate point 14L" and the leg bottom then extends upwardly and outwardly in an inclined direction, as shown ,at ll With this construction, the toy will normally rest on the head is? and the point l l but when it is tipped laterally in its walking operation, the surface 14 will be brought flat against the floor.

If the toy is supported on a downwardly inclined surface with the forward portion facing downwardly on said surface, the body will also, of course, swing forward so that the device will move down on said surface by merely being rocked from side to side.

\Vhen placed on a downwardly inclined surface and given a start, applicants toy will walk down the surface automatically. The downward movement by gravity and the reaction from one side to the other keep the toy in motion.

From the above description it is seen that applicant has produced a simple, eiiicicnt and ingenious walking toy. The walking movementof the horse is quite life-like and a toy affording great pleasure and entertainmentfor children is provided. The parts of the device are quite few and simple and "an be made very rugged so that they will be very durable. The device can be easily and inexpensively produced and the same has been amply demonstrated .in actual practice and found to be very suocesrssful and efficient.

It will, of course, be untlcrsdxoml. that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and Pl'OpOI'blGDS of the parts without departing from the scope of applicants invention, which, generally stated, consists in a device capable of carrying out the objects above set forth, and in thenovel parts and combination of parts disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

vl fliat is claimed is:

1. A movable toy having in combination, a body portion adapted to be straddled and forming a seat, forward and rear supporting legs at each side of said body portion pivotally connected thereto beneath the same, means connecting the front and rear legs at each side to cause the same to swing in unison, and means normally urging said legs to swing to their forward position whereby said body portion can be rocked forwardly and said toy can then be rocked laterally on one set of legs to lift the other set of legs from the supporting surface and said latter legs will then be swung forwardly.

2. A movable toy having in combination, a body portion adapted to be straddled and forming a seat, a pair of supporting legs at each side of said body pivotally connected thereto, links respectively connecting the front and rear legs at each side of said body, means limiting the forward swinging movement of said front legs and resilient means connected to one of the legs of each pair of front and rear legs and normally urging said legs to forward position with the front leg against said limiting means.

A movable toy having in combination, a body portion adapted to be straddled and ti'iorming a seat, a pair of supporting legs at each side of said body pivotally connected thereto, links respectively connecting the front and rear legs at each side of said body, and adjacent the bottom of said legs, a member at the front of said body limiting the forward movement of said legs, and springs, respectively, connected to each rear leg extending forwardly and connected to said body.

A movable toy having in combination, a solid body shaped to simulate an animal, said body having portions depending there from at the sides and at the center thereof, forming longitudinally extending grooves, a pair of supporting legs for said body having their upper ends disposed in each of said grooves and pivoted therein, the tops of said grooves forming stops for said legs in the rearward movement thereof, said legs having lower surfaces with inner and outer portions disposed respectively in different planes whereby said device may be tipped laterally on one pair of said legs at one side of said device to lift the other pair of legs at the other side of said device off the sup- 7 porting surface, said legs being constructed and arranged to swing forwardly by gravity. In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FRED HOSSELL. 

